Welcome back to the Easy Read Series, where we have been taking a closer look at the Easy Read format as described in this helpful ASAN guide. In Part 1, we talked about the basics of Easy Read and how it works. In Part 2, we talked about who can benefit from Easy Read. In Part 3, we will be taking a closer look at how we can use Easy Read as both an accessibility and learning tool in the classroom.

Easy Read, at its core, is a simplified version of more potentially complex reading. Sometimes in the classroom, our goal is to reach more complex reading comprehension. But in many cases, we simply want certain information to be easily conveyed and accessible to everyone in the classroom. Either case is a great opportunity for using the Easy Read format. Let’s look at some examples.

Sometimes, a helpful way to work up to a more complex text is to start with a simpler version! While Easy Read might not always be able to convey the full nuance of a more complicated text, it can be a helpful starting point! 

Learning some of the big ideas of a text first can help a student work their way up to the finer points without having to make the whole leap all at once. An Easy Read version can supplement a more complex text and a variety of lessons to better understand the writing in question.

In some cases, a more complex version of a text simply isn’t accessible at this time and place. Some information may be lost in the translation to an easy read version, but it still offers a wider audience the opportunity to benefit from that text, even if it is not the exact same experience. 

Sometimes it is more important to know the story than to know it the exact way it was written. That being said, much like with scaffolding, you can also use a wide variety of supplemental materials to give the reading more depth. 

A classic example is Shakespearean works, which are often quite difficult to comprehend for any modern reader and have had a variety of adaptations made about them. Why should Easy Read be any different?

Sometimes reading is required even when reading comprehension isn’t our core focus. In those cases, students who need extra help with reading comprehension can benefit from a more simplified version of a text so that they can focus more directly on the skills related to the task at hand. 

A classic example is instructions for a crafting activity. Some instructions are simple and clear right out of the gate. Others are vague and unfairly assume a certain level of knowledge about the task at hand. Sometimes, making an Easy Read version of those complex instructions (maybe with pictures too!) can help students focus on the task at hand rather than on spending all their time trying to comprehend the instructions. 

We have also referenced Easy Read earlier in the series as a tool for simplifying working on executive functioning skills, like working memory, or incorporating tasks into a routine. Consider other ways you might be able to use Easy Read as a supplemental tool when reading is just a small part of the planned activity!

We hope that Part 3 has inspired some starting for how to implement Easy Read into your class activities. If you have experience with Easy Read in the classroom and want to share your thoughts or have an idea for a future series, then we would love to hear from you! Just let us know what you’re thinking at hello@autismgrownup.com and stay tuned for Part 4.